The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1887-09-01
NY FIRST MURDER.

l''NN'Na aSHhp'b Vhty hONb thHt
it was my first case OF that kind
Jed Sinkey was the accused party
aud his alleged victim Yankee
pedlar.
Jed was too poor to employ coun-
sol, 30 the Court confscsted my
service ia his behalf. In othor words
| was assigned the honorable duty
Of conducting his case gratis.
The case was u tough Que. In
brief it was this
On certain evening Yankee
pedlar found himself ut Jeds door,
and applied for nights lodging.
Jed gave him q hearty welcome.
He would have done go at any time,
but on this occasion this greeting
was the more cordial because he was
alone, his wife having gone to at
tend sick neighbor, and Jed was q
man fond OF company. He and his
CUES! and neighbor who had drop
ped in spent jolly evening aud
when the aforementioned had gone,
Jed-at least that was his story
and the pedlar bade each other good
night and good-by, the latter in,
tending to make an early start the
next morning.
The sun was some hours high
whom Jed was aroused, after some
effort by crowd Of excited neigh>
bors gathered about his bed.
The pedlar The pedlar ! were
the words in evorybody's mouth.
"A plague on the pedlar,' growled
Jed, rubbing his eyes, he left afore
daylight, leastways he said he would
an' | s'pose he KEEP his word, tho
wsrn't fool enough TO lay awake and
see'
But his hoos is in your stable 2
In course he is. Didn't him and
me swap yesterday evening : Guess
the Yankee didu't get much the best
on it, nuther, Old Rocks fifteen, Of
he's a day. But it was q fair an
square trade. Jem BuIkitt here
stood by and seed II. ,
But Jem Burkitt, 49, " leighbor
who had called on the previous eve
Ming, failed 10 confirm this state
ment. va l
uIdnt see 40 e Orr ssiu % v
ans wot's mere, Old Rockys out
there in The lot now
You don't say SO p cried Jed,
starting up wonder ef that tar
nal Yankees coming back to me 2
He won't never come back-not
in this world gravoly repeated q
gray-haired earnest man. Hes
dead ! Murdered He's dead, all
split to pieces, an it's only right to
say that there's strong suspicion out
that you done it !
The light of that morning had, 10
truth, revealed a horrible deed OF
OF crime. The psdlar's lifeless body
covered with sicksning wounds, had
been discovsrek in iavine not far
from Jed's cabin. A bloody hatch
OF lying near was identified as Jed's
property, while in his stable was
found the horse tho pedlar had rid g.
den.
jed was more profuss than coher-
ent in his explanation. He protest
ed that after retiring for the night
he had neither seen nor spoken to
the pedlar that the latter must
have left the house before daylight;
and the story oil the swap Jed stuck
to with doggsd pertinacity, in the
face Of Jem Burkitt's aat.. t..contradic-
ton:
Black M Jed's case looked at first,
it was not long till it looked black
er. A search of the premises was
instituted; and under a pile of straw
in the stable was found the dead
peddler's pack. Tue murdered man
was known to have a considerable
sum Of money, none Of which was
found either on the body or in Jed's
possession, circumstance which
weighed but little in the latter
favor, however, for money is a thing
easily concealed.
Everybody Believed Jed guilty
Everybody but his poor wife, who
reached home ia time to see her hus-
band led off to jail. She clung to
him to the last moment, sobbing
ont. 'Indeed. indaed ha pavar did ~